Blood on the School Tracks: My Overprotective Mom and Secret Boyfriend - Seiichi and the One-Legged Summer

A crisp, clear Monday between the rains of the wet season. Passing through the gates of Aobagaoka Private Middle School, the usual morning clamor rushed into his ears. The bustle of the bicycle racks, greetings exchanged at the entrance, the shouts of the sports clubs. To Osabe Seiichi, all of it felt like something happening in a world slightly out of reach. (Mom was watching at the gate again today.) Something ached, deep in his chest. Ever since he'd stood her up on that movie promise, the way Shizuko looked at him had grown deeper, heavier than before. The morning drop-offs and pickups had become routine, and at lunch she'd show up in front of his classroom with homemade snacks. Every time, his classmates' curious stares pricked at him, and he could only shrink further into himself. He slid open the classroom door. Rattle. "Good morning, Osabe-kun." A chestnut ponytail bounced. Shiori wove between the desks and trotted up to him. A little flower hairpin caught the morning sun and glinted. "Morning, Mizuno-san." "Hey, did you hear? We're getting a transfer student today!" Shiori's big eyes sparkled with excitement. "A transfer student?" "Yeah. A boy, apparently. Isn't it exciting?" Seiichi nodded vaguely. A transfer student. Someone new, coming into this classroom. How that would involve him, Seiichi couldn't begin to imagine. The homeroom bell rang. Mr. Nomura walked in and took his place at the podium. "All right, settle down. Today I'd like to introduce a new classmate." The classroom stirred. "Come on in." The door opened. In walked a boy with light brown hair springing up every which way. The bedhead-looking mess seemed to be his trademark. Around his neck hung the earphones of a vintage radio. "This is our transfer student, Shigeru-kun. Everyone, please make him feel welcome." Shigeru grinned. A fang peeked out. "Hey there! I'm Shigeru! Came from the mountains out Gunma way! I like curry and radios! Don't really hate anything! Nice to meet ya!" The classroom dissolved into giggles. The mood warmed in an instant. "Now, your seat... there's an empty one next to Osabe. Shigeru, over there." Shigeru's gaze landed on Seiichi. And then— "Ah!! Seiichi!!!" Shigeru let out a shout that rang through the whole classroom. Seiichi froze. "Seiichi! You're Seiichi, right?! Osabe Seiichi!" Shigeru dashed to Seiichi's desk, slapped both hands down on it, and leaned in close. "...Shigeru." "It's been forever! Like, seriously forever! You remember me? It's me, me! We used to play together all the time when we were little!" Every eye in the room locked onto the two of them. "You know each other?" "Osabe had a friend that cheerful?" Whispers rippled through the room. Seiichi's heart pounded faster. But it wasn't a bad feeling. (It's Shigeru.) (It's really Shigeru.) Outside the schedule his mother had laid out, a familiar face had suddenly appeared. And that made him happy. "Yeah. I remember." The corner of Seiichi's mouth softened, just a little. "Right?! Man, this is so nostalgic! You haven't changed at all!" Shigeru clapped him on the shoulder, over and over. "Shigeru-kun, take your seat." "Coming!" Shigeru plopped down in the seat beside Seiichi. "We'll talk later, Seiichi. Lots to catch up on." The mischievous dark eyes spoke in a voice only Seiichi could hear. Seiichi gave a small nod. Every time a break came around, a crowd gathered around Shigeru. "Shigeru-kun, where was your old school?" "In the mountains! Bears show up, for real!" "What?! No way!" "I'm not kidding! One morning I woke up and there was bear poop in the yard—" "Gross!" "Right? But once you get used to it, you can tell their mood from the shape of the poop." "What kind of skill is that?!" The whole classroom burst into laughter. Shigeru fit in as naturally as if he'd been in this class all along. Seiichi watched from his seat, vaguely. (Same as ever.) Shigeru had always been like that. Wherever he went, before anyone noticed, he was at the center of things. Lunch break. As Seiichi was about to open his lunchbox, Shigeru dragged his desk over. "Seiichi, let's eat together!" "Uh, yeah. Sure." "Your lunch is as gorgeous as ever! Tamagoyaki and octopus sausages! So much love in there!" Shigeru peered into Seiichi's lunchbox and announced it loudly. "Oh, yeah. Mom made it..." "Huh, your mom. Same as always, huh." Shigeru's voice dropped, just slightly. "...Same as always?" "Hm? Oh, nah, nothing." Shigeru bit into the bread he'd bought from the school store. "Speaking of which, your place is around here, right? Can I come over sometime?" "Eh..." Seiichi's hands stopped dead. His mother's face floated into his mind. —When you invite friends over, make sure you tell Mama first, okay? "...Yeah. Probably... it's fine." "What's with 'probably'?!" Shigeru laughed. "Anyway, after school today, there's something I wanna talk about. Can you get up to the roof?" "The roof?" "Yeah. You know a quiet spot, don't you?" Seiichi hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. Got it." After school. Seiichi climbed the stairs at the far end of the building with Shigeru. The door leading to the roof was supposed to be locked as a rule, but today, for some reason, it was open just a crack. "Lucky. It's open." Shigeru pushed the door open without a sound. The moment they stepped onto the roof, a strong wind swept through. The late-June wind still carried a hint of dampness. In the distance, the ridgeline of Harunagaoka was visible. "Whoa, nice view." Shigeru grabbed the fence and stretched big. Seiichi stood beside him. "So, what did you want to talk about?" Shigeru was silent for a while. The wind stirred his springy hair. "Hey, Seiichi." Shigeru's voice suddenly dropped low. "Your mom—is she still like that these days?" "Like that...?" "I mean, she smiles like crazy. Always beaming." Seiichi didn't know how to answer. "...Yeah. I guess." "Listen." Shigeru let go of the fence and turned to face Seiichi. "I'm kinda scared of your mom, honestly." Seiichi's heart gave a jolt. "...Scared?" "Yeah. She smiles, but her eyes don't. I've thought that since we were kids." Shigeru looked off at the distant mountains. "You remember the summer of third grade? When all the relatives went hiking at Harunagaoka." "...Harunagaoka?" Seiichi searched his memory. Harunagaoka. The low mountain range north of the city. There was an observation deck—his family had gone there a few times when he was small. "That time, I was showing off near the cliff, standing on one leg. Going, 'Pretty cool, huh!'" Shigeru lifted one leg, imitating his younger self. "And then your mom came over, smiling away, and—" Shigeru's movement stopped. "She gave me a little push in the back." Seiichi forgot to breathe. "...What?" "Push, or—it felt like a push, anyway. Even now I can't tell if she really pushed me or if I just lost my balance." Shigeru shook his head. "Lucky it was a low cliff, so I just got scrapes and bruises. But I've never been able to forget that smile." The wind blew hard. "Your mom smiles like crazy, Seiichi. Doesn't that smile scare you?" Shigeru's dark eyes looked straight at him. Seiichi couldn't answer. (It doesn't scare me.) He tried to say it. But the words stuck in his throat and wouldn't move. (Mom's smile—scary?) He'd never thought about it. No—maybe he'd been avoiding thinking about it. "...I don't know." That was all Seiichi could manage. "I see." Shigeru didn't ask anything more. "Well, ever since that day, I've kept my distance from your mom—smile and all. So I don't really wanna go to your house much, honestly." Shigeru grinned mischievously. "But I wanna hang out with you, so I'll go today." "What?" "Come on, it's fine, right? Your place." Seiichi hesitated. His mother's face floated into his mind. (But it's Shigeru. He's family.) (Mom's known him forever, too.) "...Yeah. Probably fine." That was what Seiichi answered. Evening. Seiichi and Shigeru stood in front of the Osabe family's front door. Seiichi's house was a fifteen-year-old detached home in a residential neighborhood of Kirigaoka City. The garden, carefully tended by Shizuko, was blooming with flowers of every color. "Man, I'm nervous." Shigeru said it like a joke. "It's fine. Mom remembers you, I'm pretty sure." Just as Seiichi reached for the door— Click. It opened from the inside. "Welcome home, Seiichi." Shizuko was standing there. Glossy black hair to her shoulders. Cool, narrow eyes. The same gentle smile as always. "Oh, I'm home. Um, Shigeru's here—" Before Seiichi could finish, Shizuko's gaze shifted to Shigeru. "Oh, Shigeru-chan. It's been so long." Shizuko smiled brightly. "O-oh, ma'am. It's been a while." Shigeru took one step back, there at the entryway. She was still smiling. But to Seiichi, that single step looked like an enormous distance. "My, how you've grown. Come in. I'll put on some tea." With that, Shizuko disappeared toward the kitchen. "...Let's go in." Seiichi urged Shigeru forward. Shigeru nodded without a word and took off his shoes. In Seiichi's room, the two of them spent a while playing games and listening to the radio Shigeru had brought. But Shigeru was quiet—nothing like the brightness he'd shown in the classroom earlier. "Your mom really does smile like crazy, huh." Shigeru murmured. "...Yeah." That was all Seiichi could say. After a while, Shigeru went home. "See you, Seiichi. Tomorrow." "Yeah. Tomorrow." Seiichi saw him off at the door. He stood there until Shigeru's back disappeared down the twilight street. "Seiichi." Shizuko's voice came from behind him. He turned around. Shizuko stood there, smiling brightly. "Did Shigeru-chan go home?" "Yeah." "I see. ...Seiichi." Shizuko looked him straight in the eye. "Don't play with Shigeru-chan anymore, all right?" Seiichi's body went rigid. "...What?" "Mama just isn't very fond of that boy." Shizuko smiled, as if discussing the weather. "So don't play with him anymore. Promise me." Seiichi hung his head. "Why—" The word rose to his throat. But it wouldn't come out. "You understand, don't you, Seiichi?" Shizuko gently stroked his head. Seiichi could only give a small nod. The next day. At lunch break, Shiori came to Seiichi's desk. "Hey hey, Osabe-kun! Come with me a sec!" "Huh? Where?" "Just come on! You too, Shigeru-kun!" Shiori grabbed Seiichi's and Shigeru's arms and pulled them out of the classroom. She led them to a small empty lot behind the gym. A sunless spot boxed in by the school building and a fence, where nobody ever came. "I've been curious about this place for a while." Shiori spun once around in the middle of the lot. Her ponytail swayed softly. "This spot—it's kind of a waste, isn't it? All overgrown with weeds." "True. So what're we doing?" "Let's make a flower bed here!" Shiori's eyes sparkled. "A flower bed?!" "Yeah! The three of us, planting flowers! Isn't it lovely?!" "Sounds great! Let's do it, Seiichi!" Shigeru clapped him on the shoulder. "Eh, but..." Shizuko's words flashed through Seiichi's mind. —Don't play with Shigeru-chan anymore. —Don't play with that girl and Shigeru anymore. "But after school, I..." "It's okay! Just for a little while!" Shiori peered into his face. "You haven't seemed like yourself lately, Osabe-kun. So I wanted to do something fun together." Shiori's innocent smile. Shigeru's eyes—mischievous, but somehow serious. "...Yeah. Let's do it." Seiichi said it quietly, but clearly. "Yay!" "All right! Then after school, meet here!" After school. The three of them gathered in the back lot. Shiori had brought a small trowel and several flower seedlings from somewhere. "This one's a marigold! And this is a petunia! They're toug

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Episode 4

Name: Blood on the School Tracks: My Overprotective Mom and Secret Boyfriend
Author: Novelia

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